Organising, sequencing and prioritising
ASD and organising, sequencing and prioritising
The ability to organise, sequence and prioritise helps us to plan daily activities and manage our time effectively. However, some people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may find organising, sequencing and prioritising difficult. Here, we explain why this can be the case, and list some ways to help.
People with an ASD may have deficits in what we call 'cognitive function', that is, the intellectual process by which we think, reason, understand ideas and remember things. So a person with an ASD may have difficulties with:
processing information
predicting the consequences of an action (if I do this, what will happen next?)
understanding the concept of time
'executive function' (ie a person may be detail-focused and less able to see the whole picture).
One or all of these four examples can affect a person's ability to organise, prioritise and sequence. For example, if you struggle to understand the concept of time, how do you plan what you will do over the course of a week?
Here are some ways in which people with an ASD can organise and prioritise daily activities and tasks (we'll call them 'strategies'. At first, other people may need to have a lot of involvement introducing the strategies and helping a person with an ASD to get used to using them. You may use the strategies in more than one place, for example at home and at school. Therefore, it is important that everyone who is using them - be it family members, employers, teachers or friends - uses them consistently.
Over time, some people with an ASD will be able to use the strategies independently - although others may always need support.
Suggested strategies
Many of us use certain strategies to help organise our day and prioritise tasks. For example, we might make a list or write things on a calendar. These strategies can also be effective for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially if they're used consistently by everyone who may support a person.
Visual supports
Visual supports - pictures, written lists, calendars and real objects - can all be good ways of helping people with an ASD to understand what is going to happen, when.
For example, a person might have a daily timetable with pictures of a shower, clothes, breakfast, their school, dinner, a toothbrush, pyjamas, and a bed to indicate what they will be doing, and in what order, that day. This can help people to plan their day and organise themselves.
Colour coding
Colours can be used to indicate the importance or significance of tasks (and therefore help to prioritise tasks and work through them in a logical sequence).
For example, work in a red tray or file could be urgent, work in a green tray or file could be pending, while work in a blue tray or file is not important or has no timescale attached to it.
Colours can also help people to distinguish between paperwork, for example different household bills.
Dictaphones
Dictaphones can be a useful auditory reminder of tasks, work, events or deadlines.
Lists
Many of us use lists to remind ourselves of the tasks we need to do, and to help us prioritise. Lists (whether written or visual) can help people with an ASD in just the same way.
Lists can also be a good way of registering achievements (by crossing something off when you've done it), and of reassuring yourself that you're getting things done.
Electrical equipment
Mobile phones, computers, radios and televisions can be used to store important information, or to act as a reminder.
Computer calendars can have important dates stored on them, or reminders about when to pay bills. Radios and televisions can be set to come on at a particular time as a reminder to do something, eg to go out to a social event. Instructions can be sent by text - text messages lend themselves to this especially well as you are forced to keep instructions brief and simple. A text message is also an unobtrusive way of contacting or supporting a person with an ASD - they won't stand out from the crowd.
Task boxes, envelopes and files
Store work or belongings in set places, so that they aren't misplaced or forgotten.
Times of day, days of the week
It may be easiest to use times of day (morning, afternoon or evening) or days of the week to help plan and organise tasks, social activities and other events. For example, Saturday is shopping day, Wednesday is bills day, Thursday night is homework night.
Social stories™ and comic strip conversations
Social stories™ and comic strip conversations can be a really good way of illustrating the consequences of an action. As such, they can help people with an ASD to understand why it's good to be organised: what might happen if we don't meet deadlines or attend an activity at a particular time?
Teaching materials: time and sequence
You may find that teaching materials such as seque